Green Hills, Blue Cities

While Abuja serves as the political capital of Nigeria, Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State, serves as the centre of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry (Obinna and others 2010). With two seaports, Port Harcourt has experienced a major growth in industry and population during the last decades. I. I. Kakulu 8 WATERANDSANITATIONINPORT HARCOURT

The population growth in Port Harcourt has not matched the provision of infrastructure, utility, industrialisation and employment opportunities. The population growth in the city has resulted in expansion of slum settlements characterised by poor water distribution and poor waste disposal, resulting in negative impacts on urban ecosystems such as pollution.

NIGER

Sokoto

Katsina

Birnin Kebbi

Maiduguri

Kano

Gusau

Dutse

Damaturu

Kaduna

Bauchi

BENIN

Jos

Gombe

CHAD

Minna

WATER SUPPLY

Yola

Abuja

Jalingo

Lafia

The main source of water for domestic use in Port Harcourt is private boreholes. It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of the water supply sources in the city is independent boreholes (FRN 2006). Other sources are commercial boreholes that have much higher storage capacity. Water from these commercial boreholes is transported over long distances using tankers. In some of the large residential estates in the city, commercial water providers pipe their supplies directly to the consumers’ homes. Approximately 20 per cent of the population in Port Harcourt has access to pipe borne water, which is either piped into their homes directly or within their premises (FRN 2006). In addition, water from wells (7 per cent), rivers, streams, or springs (3 per cent), are other important sources of freshwater (FRN 2006). Only a small percentage (less than 2 per cent) is dependent on rainfall harvesting (FRN 2006), Due to its geographical location, Port Harcourt has a high potential in terms of rainfall harvesting with its humid equatorial climate and heavy rainfall for more than 9 months a year.

Lokaja

Makurdi

Ibadan

Akure

Enugu

Benin City

Lagos

Abakaliki

Umuahia

Owerri

CAMEROON

Calabar

Port Harcourt

Uyo

Nigeria, themost populous country inAfrica, has a total population of 158 million and approximately 50 per cent of all Nigerians live in urban areas (UN-HABITAT 2010). Since its establishment in 1913 (Anyanwu 1979) Port Harcourt has experienced a continuous population growth, with much of this expansion occurring on the fringes of the city as the surrounding rural communities gradually urbanise (Obinna and others 2010). Over the last 50 years, the population of Port Harcourt has increased from 56 000 inhabitants in 1950 to more than 1.1 million in 2010, and is projected to reach 1.68 million in 2025 (UN-HABITAT 2009). 8. The contributions of the Commissioner of the Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Patricia Simon Hart, is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks also to Ogonna Nsirim and Amatemeso O. EmmanuelbothstaffoftheMinistryofWaterResourcesandRuralDevelopment, for their invaluable assistance in obtaining the necessary statistics and records.

SANITATION AND WASTEWATER DISCHARGE

Sanitation and wastewater discharge are a major concern in Port Harcourt. Sewage from septic tanks is dumped into

36